WVU Retires Pat White’s No. 5, Cementing Mountaineer Legend’s Place in Program History

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Nearly two decades after Pat White helped lead West Virginia University through one of the greatest stretches in Mountaineer football history, the number he made famous now belongs to him forever.

West Virginia honored White before Saturday’s season opener against Coastal Carolina with an on-field ceremony retiring his iconic No. 5 at Milan Puskar Stadium.

The celebration transformed the home opener into a tribute to an era that remains deeply connected to Mountaineer fans.

WVU encouraged fans to wear white for its “All White for 5” celebration, marking the first such white-out since White played his final home game in Morgantown in December 2008. The Mountaineers also took the field in white uniforms as the program looked back on the quarterback who helped make No. 5 one of the most recognizable numbers in West Virginia sports.

White becomes just the seventh West Virginia football player to have his number retired, joining Major Harris’ No. 9, Ira Rodgers’ No. 21, Chuck Howley’s No. 66, Sam Huff’s No. 75, Bruce Bosley’s No. 77 and Darryl Talley’s No. 90.

His name also joins the group of Mountaineer football legends permanently recognized at Milan Puskar Stadium.

“Pat White was a generational player for West Virginia football and led our program through perhaps the greatest era in our history,” West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said when the retirement was announced. “Everywhere I go, I hear stories about the way Pat elevated our program and his teammates to greatness.”

The numbers help explain why.

White finished his West Virginia career with a 35-8 record as the Mountaineers’ starting quarterback. From 2005 through 2008, he became the first college quarterback to start and win four consecutive bowl games, leading WVU to victories in the Sugar Bowl, Gator Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Meineke Car Care Bowl.

He finished his career with 4,480 rushing yards and 10,529 yards of total offense. White set 19 WVU, Big East and national records during his career and twice earned Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors.

He finished sixth in voting for the Heisman Trophy following the 2007 season.

Some of White’s most memorable performances helped define an entire generation of Mountaineer football.

As a freshman in 2005, White emerged as one of the central figures in a West Virginia team that went on to defeat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Two years later, he helped lead WVU to another Big East championship and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, where the Mountaineers defeated No. 3 Oklahoma 48-28. White was named the game’s offensive most valuable player.

His influence on the program now extends beyond what he accomplished on the field.

White has returned to Morgantown as an assistant quarterbacks coach and assistant to head coach Rich Rodriguez, reuniting with the coach who recruited him out of Daphne, Alabama.

“Pat was a great player and a great leader in our program, and he was a dominant force in college football for four years,” Rodriguez said when the retirement was announced. “He is very deserving of the honor of having his number retired.”

There is one final chapter before No. 5 disappears from the Mountaineer sideline.

Senior wide receiver Jaden Bray currently wears the number and, with White’s blessing, will be permitted to continue wearing No. 5 through the remainder of the 2026 season. After Bray’s Mountaineer career concludes, the number will no longer be issued.

Saturday’s celebration also came on a winning afternoon for West Virginia.

The Mountaineers opened the season with a 31-24 victory over Coastal Carolina, allowing the current team to begin a new season on the same day the program honored one of the central figures from one of its most successful eras.

For generations of West Virginia fans, No. 5 already meant Pat White.

Now, it always will.